


Scar Buddies

by Fawn4Life



Category: RWBY
Genre: Cutting, F/F, Gen, Mentioned suicide attempt, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-25
Updated: 2015-08-25
Packaged: 2018-04-17 06:45:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4656708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fawn4Life/pseuds/Fawn4Life
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone has scars.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scar Buddies

Blake let her eyes wander over Yang’s prone form. Her partner was lying down on Weiss’ bed, arms up in the air as she held a comic up to read. Yellow hair fanned around her head like a halo, purple eyes going back and forth as she skimmed through the pages. Ember Celica shone dully, the bracelets drawing her attention once more.

It was the gauntlets that drew her attention first. Painted a bright cheery yellow, Blake always found her eyes being drawn to the metal bands around Yang’s wrists. She hadn’t even had to guess what the bracelets were hiding; Yang was extremely open about it.

Her scars.

She had seen them that first night, when Blake had been reading by the candlelight and Yang had dragged Ruby over to say hello. Both were dressed in their pajamas, Ruby in lounge pants and a long tank top, and Yang in short shorts and a yellow tank top as well. As Yang’s hand rose up in a cheery wave, amber eyes had been drawn to the moving limb naturally.

Light lines crisscrossed along Yang’s wrist, faint but unmistakable. The faunus had been stunned by Yang’s uncaring attitude. There was no attempt to cover them up, no excuses given. Just a simple “I went through a rough period” in response to a question raised by the heiress once the team had been formed.

“Blake?”

The faunus blinked, ears swiveling atop her head towards the source of the noise as she came back from her thoughts. Her eyes were dry, forcing her to blink a few times. “Hmm?”

“You’re staring again,” Yang said, her amusement clear. The comic had been put to the side so that she could sit up, crossing her legs. Elbow resting on her knee, Yang planted her head in her hand. “If you want to say something, just say it.”

Embarrassment colored her cheeks a dull red. Clearing her throat, the brunette looked around; they were the only ones in the room at the moment, the other two members of their team were off studying in the library because of a test the next day.

“I… wanted to ask you something.” Blake winced at how awkward she sounded.

“I gathered as much,” Yang retorted playfully. “Spill it, Blakey.”

Blake shifted on her bed to sit up, drawing her legs underneath her. Idly, her fingers picked at the frayed edges of the ribbons that were wrapped around her right arm, readjusting the fabric ever so slightly. “What… made you choose your weapon?”

Yang made a confused noise, sitting up straight. “That’s what’s been bothering you? You wanted to know about Ember Celica?”

Blake could only nod. It sounded stupid when Yang said it out loud, especially because that wasn’t what she wanted to know about.

And Yang knew it. A small smile played on her lips as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, walking over to sit beside Blake. The faunus stiffened as their shoulders brushed, nails worrying at the black ribbon even more. A blonde eyebrow arched, as if to say ‘why don’t you just ask the question we both know you want to ask?’

Yang didn’t call her out though, and for that Blake was glad. Instead, the brawler rested her head on Blake’s shoulder, her fingers tapping idly against the metal of her right gauntlet. “I chose to make my weapons the way they are to hide them at first.” Her voice was soft in a way that Blake had never heard from Yang before. “I was scared. Ashamed. I went through a rough period when I was a kid. My mom disappeared, Summer died… and I was left all alone to raise Ruby after my dad shut down. I guess I just hit a breaking point.”

Blake reached over, threading her fingers through Yang’s and giving them a light squeeze. Yang shot her a grateful smile before continuing. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. I needed to vent, but I didn’t have my semblance just yet. I only stopped because Ruby… Ruby found out.”

Letting out a soft hiss of sympathy, Blake rubbed Yang’s arm gently. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not.” Yang pulled back to look into Blake’s eyes, her lips quirking into a remorseful smile. “If Ruby hadn’t have found me, I dunno what I would have done. She made me promise to talk to her whenever I felt down. I had a few slip ups, but I always told her afterwards.”

With a few twists of her wrist the yellow bracers detached, allowing her to free her arms and for Blake to finally see Yang’s wrists up close. Unbidden, her fingers began to trace the scars. There were many, all horizontal lines and marks, smooth underneath her fingertips. They were lighter than the rest of Yang’s skin, appearing almost shiny when the light hit them just right.

Calloused fingers joined her own, Yang tracing one of the nastier looking scars idly. “I suppose the real reason I chose to make Ember Celica the way she is now is because I wanted to find strength in my weakness, if that makes any sense. I wanted to remind myself that I am strong, that I can overcome my fears and change things for the better. It’s part of why I want to be a Huntress.”

“Yang…” Blake swallowed hard, too choked up to speak. Instead, she wrapped her arms around her partner and hugged her tight, burying her nose in the soft blonde mane of hair. She felt Yang tense in her hold before relaxing into the hug.

“You’re rather cuddly today, aren’t you?” Yang murmured.

Blake could only let out a wet laugh, hitting Yang lightly on the arm before pulling back. “Shut up.” Turning her head away from Yang, Blake wiped her eyes discreetly. She was thankful that she had Yang in her life now; Blake didn’t want to imagine what life would have been like without her partner.

Probably cold. Cold and lonely.

After a few moments of amicable silence Blake finally pulled away, intent on getting in some reading before nightfall. A hand stopped her though, and she could only look questioningly at Yang. “Yes?”

“What about you?”

The blood turned to ice in her veins. Suddenly feeling nauseous, Blake could only hope her expression hadn’t given her away. “What about me?”

“Why do you have yours?” Yang asked, voice kind. “I know you have them too, even if you’re not out about it. It’s obvious when you know what you’re looking for.” The panic in Blake’s eyes must have been clear, because Yang immediately backpedaled. “I mean, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want! I don’t want to make you uncomfortable; you can just forget I asked!”

“I… I…” Blake sat down, drawing her knees up to her chest protectively. Through her bangs she could see Yang frown, and then the blonde moved in to sit even closer to her. A hand brushed her hair out of the way, and Blake nearly flinched when she felt soft lips touch her forehead.

“Forget I asked,” Yang whispered softly. “You don’t have to say anything, I understand.”

Something in the blonde’s voice made Blake’s chest ache. She had never told anyone about her issues. Her anger and hurt.

Maybe it was time to start.

With trembling hands, Blake unraveled the ribbon from both of her wrists and tugged the black arm sleeve off of her left arm, sliding it off and leaving herself exposed. She didn’t need faunus ears to hear Yang’s surprised gasp.

“Oh baby…” Gentle hands traced along the angry looking scars on both arms. Whereas Yang’s looked like they had been cut with a sharp blade, skinny and smooth, Blake’s were not nearly as nice. Hers were long lines up and down her arms, crossing every which way. Many were raised and puckered, having gotten infected more than once. One in particular stood out from the rest, looking like it had only begun to heal over instead of being years old like it actually was, pink and gnarled.

“Did you ever… Did you try to…”

Yang couldn’t get the words out, but Blake knew what she meant. Ashamed, she dropped her gaze. “Several times.. I-I wanted the hurt to go away. But I couldn’t.. You know.” Blake found herself being drawn into strong arms and rocked back and forth in Yang’s lap. The sensation of wetness on her shoulder startled her, a quiet noise of distress leaving her throat. “Don’t cry..”

“Sorry. Sorry.” Yang sniffled against her shoulder. “Not anymore though, right? You haven’t?”

Silence was Yang’s answer, Blake unable and unwilling to lie to her partner. The blonde let out a strangled noise, hugging her tighter. “When?”

“When you all found out I was a faunus..” Shrinking into herself, Blake found herself unable to look Yang in the eye. The feeling of shame hit her like a punch to the gut and, voice small, she whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Yang hushed her, hand running through the dark strands of hair in a soothing motion. “Don’t be.. Just please.. Please promise me that you’ll talk to me more. Especially when you’re feeling like that. Please, Blake. I can’t l-lose you too.” Her voice broke, and Blake could feel the blonde shudder against her.

“I’ve never talked to anyone about this before,” Blake said, unsure. There was no room for personal feelings in the Fang, and she had never been close enough to anyone to even consider talking to them about something that she felt so guilty over. So ashamed of.

“Well maybe just…try? Please Blake….you don’t need to feel alone and….and….I don’t wanna lose you when I know I could’ve helped.” The tears were audible in Yang’s voice, making Blake’s heart ache. She had caused that pain.

“I.. I’ll try.” It was the best she could manage at this point. Pulling away, the faunus used her thumbs to brush away Yang’s tears. The brawler leaned into her touch, a quiet sigh escaping her.

“That’s all I’m asking.” Yang nibbled on her lip anxiously, worrying the flesh between her teeth. “Why did you.. you know… start? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Why had she started? That was a good question, one that Blake wasn’t sure how to answer. She fidgeted, struggling to come up with a way to explain herself. Finally an idea came to mind: taking Yang’s hands in her own, Blake guided them upwards to the top of her head. Her ears flicked as she felt questing fingertips brush against the base of her ears before they faltered.

“What happened..?” Yang breathed out. Blake could feel the way Yang lingered on the long jagged scar that ran along her left ear, just slightly above her scalp.

“I tried to cut them off…” Blake spoke softly. “I hated being a faunus for the longest time. I thought… Maybe if my ears were gone nobody would know I was anything less than human. And they’d treat me differently.” Her lips curled up into a bitter smile. “I couldn’t do it, obviously. It hurt too much. A- my old partner was furious when he found out.”

Blake’s vision was suddenly blocked out as Yang sat up on her knees, her hands on Blake’s shoulders. Tender kisses were pressed along her ears, startling her nearly as much as the sobs that Yang was trying to keep quiet.

“Yang..?”

The blonde nuzzled her ears affectionately, voice rough and fierce as she spoke into Blake’s hair. “You are human, Blake. And you are so much more. Whether you have these,” she paused to give the velvety ears a gentle rub, “or not. You’re kind, and brave, and smart. Faunus or not, you are human. Just with a little bit extra, that’s all.”

Blake stared at Yang as she drew back to sit down properly once more, prompting the brawler to give her a sheepish smile. “Besides, I think your ears are kinda cute…” she mumbled.

“Y-you do?”

“Duh! So don’t you ever do that again, you hear me? Or I’ll kick your ass from here to Mistral,” Yang joked. “Got it?”

“I got it. Thank you, Yang..”

Yang’s gaze softened. “No problem, partner.”


End file.
